Simulations Plus, Inc. (NASDAQ:SLP – Free Report)’s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Friday following a weaker than expected earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $41.29, but opened at $40.37. Simulations Plus shares last traded at $41.02, with a volume of 21,804 shares changing hands.
The technology company reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.21 by ($0.01). Simulations Plus had a return on equity of 6.17% and a net margin of 19.32%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.20 EPS.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. BTIG Research assumed coverage on shares of Simulations Plus in a report on Tuesday, May 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $55.00 target price for the company. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $65.00 price objective on shares of Simulations Plus in a report on Thursday, April 6th. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Simulations Plus in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Simulations Plus currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $61.50.
Insider Activity at Simulations Plus
In related news, Director Walter S. Woltosz sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.52, for a total value of $830,400.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 3,875,739 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $160,920,683.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Simulations Plus news, Director Walter S. Woltosz sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.52, for a total value of $830,400.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,875,739 shares in the company, valued at $160,920,683.28. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Walter S. Woltosz sold 16,246 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.07, for a total transaction of $699,715.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,840,212 shares in the company, valued at $165,397,930.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 56,246 shares of company stock valued at $2,451,115 over the last 90 days. 21.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Simulations Plus
A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of SLP. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of Simulations Plus by 64.1% during the first quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 335,827 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $14,756,000 after acquiring an additional 131,130 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Simulations Plus by 98.9% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 159,768 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $8,144,000 after acquiring an additional 79,452 shares during the last quarter. Ranger Investment Management L.P. grew its position in shares of Simulations Plus by 6.0% during the first quarter. Ranger Investment Management L.P. now owns 918,658 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $40,366,000 after acquiring an additional 52,250 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its position in Simulations Plus by 17.6% in the 2nd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 322,982 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $15,933,000 after buying an additional 48,305 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP purchased a new position in Simulations Plus in the 4th quarter valued at $1,703,000. 74.22% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Simulations Plus Stock Performance
The business’s 50-day moving average is $44.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $41.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $832.48 million, a PE ratio of 80.96 and a beta of 0.51.
Simulations Plus Company Profile
Simulations Plus, Inc develops drug discovery and development software for modeling and simulation, and prediction of molecular properties utilizing artificial intelligence and machine learning based technology worldwide. The company operates through two segments, Software and Services. It offers GastroPlus, which simulates the absorption and drug interaction of compounds administered to humans and animals; and DDDPlus and MembranePlus simulation products.